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File: README for fileIO
Core Library
$Id: README,v 1.4 2003/06/03 17:42:21 exact Exp $
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SYNOPSIS:
	The programs here tests the file IO routines in Core Library.
	We also test analogous string IO routines here.

FILES:
	README		 -- this file
	Makefile	 -- compiling and testing
	bigNumFormat.txt -- specification for a bigNumber file format (moved to doc)
	fileIO.cpp	 -- testing file I/O facilities for BigInt 
			 -- the analogous I/O facilities for BigFloat
			 	can be found in the files log2.cpp and
				pi.cpp under COREPATH/progs/hypergeom/const.
	stringIO.cpp	 -- testing string I/O facilities 
	IOspeed.cpp	 -- shows that storing and reading in hex or binary is 
			    much faster than in base 10.

The files here only tests BigInt.  We also support file I/O for BigRat
and BigFloat.  To see examples for BigFloat, please see

	progs/hypergeom/const/{pi,log2}.cpp

Sample Timing on a Sparc 10:
===========================
We computed the value of 20000! (factorial),
and wrote the result to a file and then read it back.
RESULTS:
In base 10, then time to write is 550 ms, and time to read is 78 ms.
In base 16, then time to write is 0 ms, and time to read is 2 ms.

UPDATE: July 2002:
==================
Above was for BigInt file formats.  We now also have file I/O for
BigFloat and Rational numbers.
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